Aegiskeryn
by torafosset
Summary: You knew your job. Had known your purpose ever since you could think. Protect the Paladins of Voltron. Here's the whole story. Set after the regrouping in season 2. Everything is pretty much canon-compliant, just with an OC added in the mix.
1. Chapter 1

Leaves crunched under your boots as you walked noiselessly through the trees. The sun shone through the foliage gently and dappled the ground, providing both warmth and camouflage. You had been following this group of five for hours now, and it was imperative that they didn't see you.

 _Red, green, blue, yellow, and black. It must be them_

They had landed on this planet just that morning, castleship, lions and all. Of course, you didn't need to see all of that to know it was them, you felt it. The feeling had been growing stronger for a while now so you knew they must be coming soon, and these past few days the feeling had only intensified.

They exited the ship as a group and made their way into the wilderness obviously on a mission of high importance, for they barely made any noise aside from the random command from the black one.

You made sure to always stay on the high ground, and stuck to the forested hills while the five stuck to the valley. Better to observe them from and watch out for any potential threats. They were cautious, which was good, and you noted that they worked together pretty well for a team of ragtags.

 _Guess my job wont be as hard as I thought it was going to be._

You had to protect them after all, it was your job. The illuviar's job.

They stopped. It was sudden. The red one crouched down and was examining something on the ground while the green one bent over directly behind him and was fiddling pretty seriously with some advanced technology. You crouched slowly behind a broad tree, peering out behind the trunk. They must have found something, and your senses were going crazy trying to figure out what they were saying or looking at. Blue and yellow were holding up their weapons, guns of some kind, and were pacing around the group watching for any potential enemies.

 _Galra enemies, maybe? I haven't been on this planet long enough to scope this area out, but I should have felt their presence by now if it was a Galra base…_

Black was facing red and green and reporting back to someone from what you could tell.

 _Must mean that there's more people back on the castleship. Perhaps the Alteans._

He was speaking, but holding his hand up to his helmet so it must be an earpiece of some kind. Slowly, you got up from your crouching position, deciding to move further down the hill to get a closer view at the group. Just as you were about to reach another tree to crouch behind, you froze. That all too familiar feeling you got right before catastrophe was about to strike left your fingers tingling. It happened quickly.

Shots started being fired at the group of five from two of the surrounding hills and they barely had time to react and summon their shields. Reaching up behind your head you drew your two scimitars and began racing down the slope. The five had pushed themselves together into a tight circle and were making their way quickly to the bottom of your hill to take cover behind some boulders. Black was talking furiously into his earpiece and the others were taking turns poking out behind their rocky cover to fire back at the assailants. Green was sitting down and frantically doing something with her technology.

You were slightly out of breath from your sprint down the hill and slinking along the ground made your way to an outcrop of rocks just ten to fifteen feet above them. Catching your breath, you slid on your stomach to get behind some small shrubs.

 _Where are the shots coming from? I cant believe I didn't spot anything before._

You chastised yourself. You were supposed to be protecting them and look at how well you were doing. If you had been on your toes like you usually were and not let your guard down you would have seen those sentries coming from miles away. But you were distracted. This was supposed to be the first time you would meet the group since learning about them and how you were meant to aid them in their mission to rid the universe of evil. In all honesty you were slightly terrified since this would be the first human contact you would have had in an embarrasingly long time. And even you were realistic enough to realize that you were lacking rather sadly in the social interaction area.

You tilted your head to listen in on what they were saying to try and get a grip on their situation. Your eyes were darting back and forth between the hills wishing you had an automatic weapon so you could help take out the attackers.

"I can't hold out much longer Shiro! They're getting closer and I think they have reinforcements!"

"Lance, just hold out a little-what? Yes allura, we're trying-"

"Pidge how much longer do you need!?"

"Hunk cover me I'm going to try and-"

The gunfire only intensified and you could tell that the group was having difficulty keeping the sentries at bay and trying to organize themselves so they could retreat and return to the ship. This wasn't how you wanted to meet but you knew you had to intervene or the situation would soon turn south and someone could get hurt.

Just as red was about to go out from behind the outcropping of rocks and attack the advancing sentries, you stood up and readjusted the scimitars in your hands. The sentries had got close enough that you could do something now and were about to be on top of the group. There was no way they would be able to hold them all off. Their shouting had only become more intense and panicked. You took a deep breath and with a running start jumped off the edge of the cliff and flipped onto the ground below you right into the middle of the group.

"WHAT THE-"

"SHIRO!"

"Who the bloody hell…"

They only had a second to jump in surprise and turn around to look at you with wide eyes before the sentries had climbed over the rocks. You stood up from your crouch on the ground and in a blur leapt up onto the rocks and began slicing through the sentries with precision. You could still hear the whiz of laser shots flying past you, some from the two gunholders and some from the sentries. You couldn't really tell what was happening behind you, too distracted by the whirlwind of sentries flying at you but from the sounds of it they had all got over the initial shock and were following your lead by engaging in battle. The sound of metal on metal screeched in the air as you cut through the sentries one at a time barely able to keep your footing when you danced around slicing from different angles so you wouldn't be overwhelmed. A few minutes later, or maybe longer, it was hard to tell in the heat of a battle, the last sentry dropped useless at your feet.

You were breathing heavily, though barely exhausted- this was not your first fight. You turned around and faced the group who were breathing hard as well, just having finished fighting themselves. They stared at you with confused but curious faces. The blue one seemed to be trying to say something but his mouth just kept opening and closing with no sound being produced. Green had stopped typing and was gaping at you while yellow and red, looking friendly enough, were still on the defensive. They did not put their weapons down and stood a little in front of the rest of the group. You supposed you might have looked a tad but intimidating, dressed all in black with two scimitars and a bow on your back. Attempting to appear trustworthy, you placed your scimitars back in their sheaths behind your back and took a few slow steps toward them with hands held out slightly to show you came peacefully.

"Hello. Sorry to startle you." you said in what you hoped was a calm voice.

Black finally took initiative and stepped forward in front of the group. He was about to extend his hand to you and initiate greetings when his eyes opened wide at something just over your shoulder.

"Allura, wait! She's not-" he cried out. The others made panicked noises.

You guessed too late that he was yelling at someone behind you and were in the process of turning around when you felt a sharp stabbing prick in the back of your ribs near your spine. Immediately your vision darkened around the edges and when you tried to reach behind you to your back to figure out what happened your arm wouldn't move. Voices that seemed to be muffled and miles away underwater were yelling again and you were about to ask what was going on when the landscape began to turn in circles and mush together. Delirium took over in a matter of two or three seconds and what you guessed was the ground was suddenly getting closer and closer to your face.


	2. Chapter 2

When you awoke, the first thing you noticed was not the fact that you were in a cell, but the color of it.

 _Clean white and blue, not purple. The castleship…_

This was sad, you supposed, that being in a cell produced no new feelings of fear or surprise. You had woken up in one far too many times before. A small, but concerningly laborious sigh escaped your lungs. At least the Galra had not captured you again. These new hosts might be a bit more obliging.

Your eyes felt so, so heavy. The painful kind when you are trying your hardest to keep them open but nothing seems to work. The rest of your body finally started sending signals back to your brain. Nothing seemed broken or seriously injured. Just an odd tingly, achey feeling at that spot in your back where something had poked you back when you were supposed to be meeting the five.

 _I suppose if I_ _ **had**_ _been injured I would have healed by now. I always heal quickly. One of the only good things about me._

You attempted to move out of your awkward position where you had been left on the ground. You needed to clear your groggy thoughts and figure out what was going on. A hint of embarrassment entered your mind at your current situation. Something like this had not happened in a long time. As you were trying to move your legs out from under you so you could lean against the wall, you realized that your hands were tied behind you. Not tight enough to hurt you, but intense struggling caused the rounded metallic cuffs to dig into your wrist bones rather uncomfortably. That's when you noticed (felt more or less) the gadget protruding a few centimeters out from your left cuff. You had a feeling you knew what it was. Staying perfectly still, you listened for the faint hum of electricity that would give the gadget away. Yup, there it was. A barely noticeable buzz. Your lip turned up a bit at the corner, a small smile.

 _Typical Altean fashion. They always knew how to_ _ **kindly**_ _keep a prisoner._

A sudden whoosh led you to snap your head up to the wall in front of you.

 _Ouch, moved too fast._

Your vision slowly cleared and you took in the person who had just walked through the door. The Altean princess of course, it had to be. No one else could so elegantly fill up the entire room with her presence. She stood very tall and straight, just like her father, but with a less friendly face. Not quite glaring, she looked down on you harshly.

"I suppose now that you're awake you wouldn't mind telling us who you are and why we found traces of Galra blood in your DNA." The question was posed as more of an accusation than an inquiry.

 _Ah. That explains the cuffs and electric shocker._

You were slightly put out at the idea of them taking a blood sample from you while unconscious, and the fact that she so quickly typecasted you as an enemy made you miffed. Yes, you had Galra blood in you, but she had no idea what she was talking about or who you were. Or your connection to her race. You side-stepped her question and instead offered,

"I mean no harm."

She frowned slightly at your rebuttal.

"We have no way of proving whether your intentions are good or bad, only that it is a possibility you were sent to infiltrate our ship, or capture the Paladins after gaining their trust in battle."

You understood why she would have anti-Galra sentiments but didn't think gaining the trust of the princess would be this hard. Hopefully the…Paladins?...would not be as biased as she was.

"I understand your need for caution, but if I had wished to kill these…paladins as you call them, I would have done so earlier." You kept your face blank and expressionless, hoping that she would see the logic in you statement.

There was a moment of awkward, heavy silence while she crossed her arms and glared at you through narrowed eyes.

You looked up at her, having to squint your eyes from the blinding lights on the ceiling. She didn't seem to like your logical approach and made no comment, keeping her lips in a thin, tight line of disapproval. You decided to pose another question.

"Is this usually what you do to people you've just met?" you asked moving your arms as much as you could to emphasize the cuffs.

"Only to any scallywags we find to be associated with the Galra."

You bristled underneath your skin, but kept your cool not offering her any sign of emotion."If you find me to be untrustworthy still, even after my actions out there helping your Paladins, you may ask me anything you like. I say this again, I mean them no harm."

She lifted her chin and took a menacing step toward you. Her hands had dropped back to her side and she was clenching her fists.

"Trust me when I say this, _imposter,_ you will not have a chance to harm them because you will have to go through _me_ before you can even think about it. They may not be as quick to judge as I am but I will not have a trace of Galra blood on my ship without having you go through the proper interrogation procedure. If you pass, I may consider not throwing you out into the oblivion of space."

She was very nearly spitting her words out, but still managed to look regal through her dialogue.

You took a deep breath and blew it out slowly, not breaking eye contact with her. She was not one to be intimidated, but you had to get through to her somehow if you were expected to become part of this team and aid them in their mission.

 _If only King Alfor could see this now…_

Eventually, you broke eye contact and leaned back again against the cell wall as non-chalantly as you could, not giving her the satisfaction of an answer. You could feel her staring at you for a few more seconds more before she gave an irritated huff and turned around making for the door. Before she went through, she turned her head back slightly and said,

"I'll be back later to ask you some questions. In the meantime, mull over your excuses as to why you were tracking my Paladins so they're at least somewhat believable." She went through the opening and the door closed again with a whoosh.

 _Great, just great. What a wonderful start I'm off to._


	3. Chapter 3

You had been slumped against the wall for about ten minutes, wondering where your weapons were, when the door slid open again. You started and tensed up instantly, expecting the princess to have returned already. What you didn't expect was to see a smiling face, smiling faces upon further notice, and a tray of food. The yellow one entered slowly, holding the tray. His footsteps were quiet, as if he thought walking too forwardly into the cell would scare you away. The blue and red one followed him in on either side. Upon noticing you flinch awake, yellow quickly said,

"No no no, d-don't be afraid of us. I'm Hunk, and this is Lance and Keith. We came to bring you food and….y'know…make sure Allura didn't kill you." He chuckled nervously.

He set the food tray down a few feet away from you and stepped back, eyeing you the whole time. You were in the same position as before, back up against the wall and legs out in front of you knees bent. Your head hadn't truly cleared up, and your thought process was choppy and slow. Arms still annoyingly tied up. Despite this annoyance, you felt nothing but warmth and kindness radiating off of the yellow Paladin, so you offered a small half smile.

The blue Paladin, Lance you guessed, stepped away from the wall he was leaning against and came a few feet in front of you. He was smiling awkwardly and had one hand rubbing his neck and the other in his pant pocket.

"So…we kind of owe you our lives…you were awesome out there! We know it doesn't seem like we're paying you back very well, locking you up and all, but Allura's just a bit uptight sometimes…we tried talking to her, honest! I've never seen Shiro so willing to argue with Allura…we explained everything…" he trailed off awkwardly. You had a hard time following what he was saying. You thought the drugs that the princess had used on you earlier would have worn off by now, but if anything your brain had become more groggy.

Keith who had been staring at you hard the whole time, cut in all of a sudden,

"What he's _trying_ to say is we're sorry for you being in this crap situation and we're going to get you out. We'll make Allura come around one way or another. Seems a little shallow to me to judge someone because of a few drops of Galra blood."

Hunk and Lance nodded in affirmation.

"So don't you worry-"

"Ya this will all be over soon!"

"Where are you from? If we tell Allura we can help you get back."

"How did you find us?"

"What's your name?"

You tried to understand what they were saying but your vision began to cross again and the words smushed together only registering as garbled noises for the most part. Images of past interrogations flickered in your mind, and you tried to shut them away but the rational part of your brain wasn't listening.

 _Not now. NOT NOW._

You grit your teeth and breathed out of your nose slowly, trying to hide your slight episode from the paladins.

Keith waved his arms at the other two shushing them,

"Guys, _guys_ , come on quiet down!"

Hunk and Lance stopped talking immediately and looked at you ashamedly.

"Sorry we didn't mean to bombard you. We'll leave you now…" 

"If you need anything, let us know! Sorry the dinner is…odd. But there isn't much to choose from up here."

"Tell me about it! I've had a mere five ingredients to work with this entire time!"

You wanted to say something, honestly. You wanted to tell them thank you, something, anything, but your throat had closed up and your defensive mechanism in your mind was telling you not to _say anything_ even though you trusted them. When it became apparent that you weren't going to respond, they looked at each other uncomfortably.

"Well…goodbye then. We better get out of here before Allura finds out-"

"Finds out what."

Allura, that was the princess's name apparently, had appeared at the door and was staring down the three guys furiously.

"I thought I made it quiet clear that you were not under any circumstances to fraternize with the prisoner"

Keith flared up and retorted,

"Oh come one Allura! Prisoner? We already told you what happened-" 

Lance cut in, "Ya, she saved our lives Allura. I really don't think this is necessary."

Hunk took a more diplomatic approach and asked the princess, "Are the electric handcuffs really needed? I feel this may have been taken too-"

Allura glared at them with a stone cold expression.

"I want all of you out of here NOW. If any of you want to continue this conversation later (they all cowered at this idea) then we can. I am doing this as a necessary precaution _to protect you_. So kindly let me do my job!" With that she shoved them all out protesting and slammed the sliding door shut with a snap.

She whipped around and took a few steps toward you.

"I hope you thought about what you're going to say."

You stared at her steadily and unwavering. Even though there were now two of her. You had to use every ounce of concentration left to form a thought and get that thought out of your mouth. You really didn't think the drug was supposed to be doing this.

"I will say once more, I mean _no harm_ "

She breathed out slowly. "Then why don't I believe you? You appeared out of nowhere and just managed to show up in the nick of time. What were you doing out there?"

You tried to pay attention to what she was saying but her words, while sounding perfectly clear, made no sense. So you said nothing.

"Alright, answer me this then. What is your name and where do you come from?"

Although your head was now spinning, and the walls were turning different colors, the word "name" stuck out to you.

 _DON'T ANSWER. NO ONE MUST KNOW YOUR NAME,_ your brain was trying to tell you.

 _Stop, she's not Galra, calm down, calm dow-_

 _WHERE AM I?_

 _WHAT'S GOING ON?_

 _Calm down, calm dow-_

You felt like your brain was going a hundred miles per hour and you couldn't catch a single train of thought.

With a huff she took another step toward you, "You must talk! At least tell me why you have Galra blood in you."

Silence. You tried to steady your breathing.

"IF YOU DO NOT give me any information there is no way I can TRUST YOU!"

More silence. You were beginning to panic internally even though your face didn't show any emotion.

 _This is not going well, this is not going well._

"Will. You. Not. Speak?" she spoke through her teeth.

You groaned in frustration and opened your mouth a few times but closed it again quickly after you realized no sound was going to come out.

She glowered and produced a small rectangle from behind her back. It had two buttons on it.

"I am not inhumane, but understand that I will use whatever means necessary to get you to talk. I give you one more chance. You must tell me what you were doing following the paladins."

Your eyes grew wide. She couldn't possibly mean this. She would use torture as a means to get information out of you? Hardly the most cruel means of torture but still.

"Princess, please…I am not trying to be difficult-" you tried to explain.

"Then why won't you answer me!"

You made a frustrated whimper and slumped back against the wall.

"Fine, have it your way." She slammed her thumb down on a button.

Electricity pulsed through you from the cuffs. It wasn't entirely painful, but made you reel over onto the ground nonetheless and seemed to concentrate in the spot on your back. Your vision blacked out momentarily when your head hit the floor rather harshly and your nerves tingled like they were on fire.

"Who are you and why were you following them?" she yelled.

Through gritted teeth you responded from the ground, "I told you, _I had no intention_ of harming anyone, I was ONLY TRYING TO HELP."

Allura took a deep, calming breath. "Ok then, if you want me to believe that, _you must_ tell me more about yourself. We scanned that planet many times and it was our understanding that it had been under Galra control for a very long time, with no other life forms on it than sentries. There was no reason for anyone to be on that planet and our scanners are never wrong. This means you arrived after we did. This means you knew we were going to be there or you were following us. We had no intention of being overly suspicious, we wanted to give you a chance, until we found out that you had traces of Galra blood in you. Besides that, your weapons are of Galra design. Tell me this doesn't look suspicious."

You opened your mouth to respond but instead of words vomit came out. You couldn't keep your stomach under control and your head truly hurt now. All you could focus on was the pounding in your head. You could hear footsteps coming toward you from your place curled up on the floor. You would have tried to move away, worried about what Allura would do to you, but your muscles refused to respond. You hated being out of control, absolutely hated it. A hand made its way to your forehead.

"Stars…" she breathed out.

All you would remember about what happened next was more pairs of feet, the door swooshing more times, and a feeling of weightlessness as the ceiling lights moved past you above.


	4. Chapter 4

_Your throat was dry from all of the screaming. Screaming and screaming and wishing to God that this would just STOP. You hadn't said anything though, gave away no information, your unwillingness to give them any satisfaction the only thing keeping you grounded. The metal table that had felt ice cold at first was now as hot as molten rock but it gave your overused muscles no comfort. You had stopped struggling against the restraints about twelve sessions ago. It didn't work and only reopened the scars on your wrists._

 _Taking deep, shaky breaths, you squeezed your eyes shut and tried to remove yourself from this situation. Unfortunately, you couldn't think about your family, or anything or anyone because those thoughts would be picked up by the transmission headband on your head._

 _The harsh purple glow you could barely see through, your shut eyelids was suddenly gone, and you opened your eyes to see the face of your Galra interrogator standing over you with his sickeningly wide grin._

" _Well, well, you're conscious again. Perhaps this time around you'll be more willing to answer my questions."He sneered, walking over to the corner of the room where his chair and console were placed. He sat down and crossed his legs, fingers dangling threateningly over the console board, ready to press a button. You were used to the non-chalant uncaring manner of these Galra interrogators, but it still made your stomach nauseous the way they smiled at you from their chairs, picking different buttons each time as if a child playing a game._

" _I have some information suggesting you know about quintessence. When we caught you, you were on the run from some of our harvesters. I wonder…what could be so special about your quintessence?"_

 _You remained completely silent, staring into the bright light above your table._

 _Please just let me pass out, please just pass out, it will be all over soon you seemed to be saying to the light as if it could hear you. An intense heat began to spread across your left arm, starting at your fingers and working its way up your shoulder. You chanced a glance over to the Galra and saw he had his finger pressed down on a button._

" _Let me restate this, perhaps you didn't understand my question. Tell me what's so special about your blood, or we'll open you up and find out ourselves."_

 _Silence. You wanted to cry so badly, but you couldn't show any weakness._

" _We're not stupid, you know. You may think you're saving yourself and any friends you may have by remaining silent, but your efforts are in vain. We already know who you are, and who your relations are. And we know that you are the illuviar, and that your task is to be the aegiskeryn to a group of five warriors. This whole week was just a little fun for me and to see if you would offer us any more information on the resistance groups._

 _You went absolutely rigid with shock. How could he know? Impossible, IMPOSSIBLE. Every precaution had been taken, no one knew. This can't be happening!_

 _The Galra chuckled lightly and raised his hand once more over the console, apparently delighted at the shocked look on your face._

" _Oh dear, you didn't know? I'm so sorry to have told you this in this way. I suppose you'll be wanting some comfort right about now. I'll leave you with some familiar voices, perhaps that will help."_

 _With a truly evil side-grin, he pushed a large button on the wall beside him and stood up to walk out the door. Once the door shut, that's when the screaming began. Not your screams, but the screams of your family. They were crying and shouting, trying to escape the fate that you had been forced to watch happen to them. You couldn't keep the tears back this time. They flooded your vision and spilled down your cheeks. In some ways this hurt more than all the years of physical pain the Galra had given you._

 _I'm so sorry father, I couldn't save any of you. I failed. The one job you gave me, the illuviar, I failed. You would never find the group of five warriors, never defeat Zarkon, never get revenge for your family._

 _The screams and pained yells mixed with the laughter of the Galra and so many noises filled your head you thought it would explode until darkness filled your mind and you gave way to the pitch black._

The second time you awoke on the castleship that day, you were noticeably more comfortable. The temperature was a little warmer, and a faint, white light filtered through your lashes as you opened your lids. Your arms were no longer behind your back and you were in a bed. The first thought that came to mind was the nightmare you had had, and you jerked up into a sitting position, gasping.

 _It wasn't real, it wasn't real, that didn't happen…_ you repeated this over and over again to yourself. They didn't know that about you, the Galra didn't have that information. It was a leftover mind trick that the Druids had inserted into you to make you feel like you had already experienced some of your worst fears. A way to get into your brain and make you give up more information. The screams of your family though, those were real.

Shuddering breaths left you as you tried to steady yourself, get a grip on yourself. Now was not the time to unravel. It was then that you noticed the statuesque figure sitting on a chair in the corner of the small room…what you guessed was the infirmary. The princess, Allura, was staring at you with her arms crossed. She still looked stern, but you caught a glimpse of something else, concern?, glinting in her eyes. She stood up and made her way stoicly over to your bed. Without looking you in the eyes, she said,

"The healing pods didn't accept your biology for some reason, so we did our best to help you with our normal drugs and medicines."

You didn't know what to say, so just stared back at her blankly.

She took a deep breath, preparing herself, then turned to face you, looking you in the eyes.

"I'm sorry. For everything. I mistrusted you from the start, and should not have been so hasty to drug you when I left the castleship to aid the Paladins."

She looked down at her fiddling fingers again for the next part, seemingly ashamed.

"It was the drug actually….that, uh…seemed to cause you to react in such a violent way. The chemicals in it, ahem, reacted badly with your biological makeup."

She looked hurridly up at you and blurted out her next words.

"That honestly wasn't my intention when I drugged you, it was just supposed to be a way to get you back to the castleship and into the cell without you seeing anything. And because I didn't know how you would react. I had thought that we could get information from you about the enemy."

The princess straightened up and her demeanor returned to the regal one you first saw when you met her for the first time.

"Even though there are still many questions that need to be answered, and I still don't fully trust you, I apologize."

Your mind was a complete blank. This was so unexpected. You finally managed to get some words out, even though your voice was still slightly raspy.

"Thank you." Allura's face broke a little bit, and she looked on you kindly for a second.

"I understand why you had to be so cautious. I will try to tell you what you need, but please understand there are some things I can't, for reasons you wouldn't comprehend, tell you." You said this last part slowly, afraid of how she would react.

She looked at you diplomatically. "I see. Well, we will try to work around that. We need as many allies as we can get, I see now that I judged you too quickly. However, that still means you can't have my full trust."

You nodded slowly. "I understand."

She reached behind her and produced a small circlet, reaching toward you and putting it on top of the sheets on your lap.

"You can walk around the castle, if you wish, but I'm going to request you wear this tracker. It will go off if you try to use any advanced technology or weapons. Don't worry, yours are safe in our weapons stash. This is only precautionary, until we know more about you. If you fail to make me trust you in any way, we will drop you off at the next planet. Do you accept this deal?"

You thought it was a little over-excessive, but desperately needed to work your way into this team and gain their trust if you were ever supposed to do your job and protect them. Internally sighing, maybe rolling your eyes a little, you took the bracelet off the sheets and put it on your arm.

Allura looked pleased with herself. "Good! Well, you seem to be feeling better. I suppose you'll be wanting to clean up a little bit."

You looked down to see that you were still in your clothes, and could only imagine what the rest of you looked like. A shower would be nice.

"Pidge can show you where the showers are! She'll stay with you until you're done cleaning up and escort you to dinner." She motioned to the door on the opposite side of the room which opened allowing five paladins to stumble in and land on top of each other.

"Ouch!" 

"Get off-"

"Your FOOT is in-"

"GUYS!" The black paladin yelled above the others. The grumbling stopped and they all stood up brushing themselves off. Once they saw you, smiles broke out on their faces and the relief that you were ok came off them in waves. You had a chance to look at all of them now, their faces still a bit new to you since they had been in their armor and helmets when you first met them. You did a double take when you saw the black one. His face wasn't familiar exactly, but the scar across his nose and cheeks along with his robotic arm (clearly Galra) gave you the idea that this might not be the first time you two had met.

 _I've seen him before…_

Before you could figure out _where_ you had seen him before, the green one, Pidge, you assumed, walked forward with a smile on her face, adjusting her glasses. "About time you opened the door, Allura! They were about to make me hack into the door lock and-"

Allura cut her off with a smile on her face. "You guys will never stop listening in on conversations will you?"

Lance laughed. "Nope!" 

Keith smirked. "Not a chance."

"We're so glad to see you're alright!" Hunk said.

Pidge had made her way over to your bed and was gesturing for you to get out. "Well come on! We better get a move on and get you cleaned up so we get to dinner on time. Hunk's cooking tonight and I want to make sure I get some of it this time before SOMEONE eats it all." She glared at the others when she said this, and they all raised their hands and shrugged their shoulders.

The black one started walking toward the door. "Can't help it Pidge, it's all we have to look forward to up here in the black abyss."

The other boys followed him out, Hunk patting the black one on the back in a joking manner.

Lance turned over his shoulder to shout, "See you at dinner!" before turning the corner.

Allura made her way to the door next. "I better check on Coran and make sure the castle is prepared for our next distress call. I'll trust you to take charge of things from here Pidge."

When the door shut behind Allura and the boys, Pidge turned back around to look at you with a soft smile on her face.

"Need any help getting up? We heard what happened in the cell and were pretty worried there for a minute when the healing pod wasn't working!"

You shook your head moving to push your legs over the side of the bed.

"I've had worse."

You had meant to reassure her that you held no grudge and would be alright, but judging by the frown on her face and the way she awkwardly looked down, you guessed it had come out worse than you intended. Your face fell and you were about to restate what you had meant to say but Pidge had already turned around and was walking toward the door.

"Follow me, I'll show you where the showers are…"


	5. Chapter 5

The walk to the showers was silent and full of awkwardness. You weren't sure what to say and Pidge kept glancing at you sideways, looking you up and down. You had just started thinking you should figure out something to say so the only sounds in the hallway weren't your footsteps when she abruptly turned to face you while walking.

"So…uh…I was wondering if I could ask, I mean I have a TON of questions right now, but I don't want to overwhelm you or anything, just, you know…oh man I'm rambling" she bit her lip and looked away apologetically. You were bemused and felt the corner of your mouth twitch up but kept looking straight ahead so as not to embarrass her.

Taking a deep breath she turned back to face you, "Let me start again, I'm Pidge. I'd like to thank you for saving our lives back there, it was pretty cool!" You looked down at her to see a wide grin on her face and excitement in her eyes. "I mean, it's not every day we get some badass superwoman coming in to save the day. We've met lots of aliens sure, but none like you! What's your name?"

You stopped walking and stared at the back of her head until she realized you weren't following anymore. Pidge turned around in confusion and looked at you where you had stopped. You hadn't really thought about this. If Allura found out your real name, she might know who you are or remember something Alfor had told her and then things would be back at square one. No, better to give them your fake name now and explain things to them later when they trust you. Besides, everyone who knew you by your real name was dead or…

"Farah" you answered back quickly.

"Farah! Cool…showers are through here!" she said as she went through a door in the side of the hallway. You had been so distracted by all these new thoughts running through your head (when would you get your weapons back, how to gain their trust, where you'd seen Shiro before…) that you hadn't been tracking where Pidge was taking you.

 _Some warrior I am._ You thought jokingly.

You followed her in and were met with a long tiled bathroom with two showers, a row of sinks, a door leading into a toilet, and a rectangular windowseat on the opposite wall looking out on space. Pidge was coming out of a cupboard with a towel and some other things in her hands.

"These are for you, let me know if you need anything else" she said handing them to you. You gently took the towels from her hand and held them against you.

"Thank you, Pidge" you said slowly and carefully, looking her in the eyes.

She smiled back slowly, looking flustered. Adjusting her glasses she took a step back toward the bench fiddling with her hands. You stayed where you were but shifted awkwardly from foot to foot. You weren't really sure how to go about this, you were expecting her to leave but…

"I'm sorry, but um Allura asked me to stay with you and uh you know the whole bracelet thing…" She looked thoroughly embarrassed now. "I'm really sorry…."

"No" you cut in. "It's fine. I won't take long"

Pidge gave you another grateful smile and sat down on the bench, legs pulled up to her chest and chin resting on her knees.

You stood in your spot for another few moments before deciding to get over the awkwardness and get through this as quickly as possible. You moved over to the bench Pidge was sitting on and began to take off your boots and outer clothes, grimacing a little when you took your jacket and overcoat off.

 _Why do I still hurt from earlier? I always heal quickly…I should feel nothing by now…_

Pidge looked concerned "Hey do you want some help with that?" she was making to get up.

You quickly shook your head "I've been on my own for a while" Pidge gave you the same frown as before. "But thank you" you smiled softly at her this time to show appreciation. She nodded and smiled back. After you had taken everything off except for your pants and shirt, you grabbed the towels and slid the door open to get in the shower. Getting your leather pants off was a little more challenging, but soon you were completely stripped down and had your clothes slung over the door of the shower. Now to figure out how this thing works…. As you reached for one of the handles Pidge's voice rang out echoing a little in the tiled room.

"Is it ok if I talk while you shower? I always get uncomfortable at how quiet it is in here…" you shook your head and smiled. You didn't realize just how young these warriors were.

"It's fine" you called back, pulling on the handle and jumping back when a spray of water came jetting down from the ceiling. You had been in the wild for a long time now, but you would like to think you hadn't turned into a heathen. You just hadn't been around technology like this in a while. You stuck your leg out to test the temperature and were beyond relieved when it turned out to be warm. Having to ask Pidge for help was the last thing you wanted to do right now.

"So, Farah…where exactly are you from? Where's home for you? We've been to quite a few planets but haven't seen anyone who looks so human before. Except for your pointy ears I mean, but you're definitely not Altean…"

You smiled at her rambling as you stepped under the water and closed your eyes. You were glad your emotions were not all completely there (another story for another time) or you most likely would have broken down at the mention of your home. You thought about how to phrase this in the right way.

"Um…doesn't matter. My home isn't there anymore, so I've been all over lately"

A silence ensued followed by a somber "Zarkon?" You flinched at his name.

"Ya…something like that" you ran your fingers through your hair. When was the last time you had bathed again? Not like people could tell when you hadn't (you always smelled good and looked fresh, benefits of your race) but you could tell when it had been too long.

"He took something from me too…someone more like. You haven't been around any Galra prisons lately have you?" She asked sounding hopeful.

Sorry…no". You tried to avoid the Galra like they were the plague. The only times you allowed yourself to get even slightly close to their vicinity was when you had worked with rebellion groups and had to break into bases or gather intel from ships.

"Oh…that's ok…" she sounded much more somber now. You almost had all of the knots out of your hair by now. "I'm not sure if Allura told you this but…when you reacted to the tranquilizer we were going to put you in the cryopod. As soon as we put you in though it started freaking out and making all these weird noises. We thought it was because you had some Galra in you but Allura assured us it wasn't because of that. Apparently your biology doesn't accept the Altean healing technology and was making you worse instead of better?" she sounded like she was asking a question instead of making a statement.

"Mmmhmm" was all the response you gave. A considerable silence followed.

"I don't want to sound nosy or anything but do you know why that might be? You see…Hunk and I are trying to keep a log of all the species we come across and if you get injured again we want to know what to do."

That was a loaded question. You felt bad lying to everyone, but it was really in their best interest that they didn't know everything about you right away. You had turned off the water and were drying your hair with one of the towels while you decided how to answer.

"No clue. I don't make a habit of getting injured though, so I wouldn't worry." You put on a robe that was neatly folded under the towel and stepped out of the shower. Pidge was still sitting on the bench and looked up when you stepped out.

"Well Hunk and I were talking to Allura and we thought if we ran some tests on you-"

"No!...no tests, please" you said the last part more gently since your sudden outburst caused Pidge to flinch. No way in hell you were allowing anyone to poke you or stick needles in you or extract things from you, you were done with being a test subject. The Galra had done plenty already.

She nodded quickly, standing up to hand you a pile of some more folded material.

"Ok…sure, I'll just tell Allura then"

You looked at the pile warily. "What are those?" Pidge glanced down at what was in her arms.

"Oh, right. Um Allura gave me some clothes to give to you. She wasn't sure really what you'd want but thought this would do." She reached out to offer them to you but instead of taking them you asked, "What's wrong with the clothes I came in?"

Pidge hastened to reply, "Nothing! We just thought you'd like something fresh to wear. She said she would clean them and give them back to you later, don't worry."

"Hmmpf" you took the clothes from Pidge and started unfolding them. You were surprised to find that the dark pants and light colored blouse were almost exactly the same to what you were wearing underneath your outer clothes when you came on the ship.

Pidge gave you one last look over before heading to the door. "I'll wait outside for you to get dressed!"

You looked over your shoulder but she was already gone, the door shut.

After you had dressed and put your boots on, you folded up your old clothes to give to Pidge. You decided against braiding your hair as it had been earlier, it was fairly short anyway.

Pidge was leaning with her back against the wall and her hands in her pockets when you came out. She took your old clothes from you with a smile and started walking briskly in the opposite direction you had come from.

"Alright then! This way to dinner. I think you showered in good time so there should be food there still!" You followed her quickly, hurrying to catch up to the small girl. She took a few turns before coming to a grand staircase which you went down and then turned left at the bottom of them. Down another long hallway, and then through a very large door. Pidge had dropped your clothes down a "laundry chute" a few doors ago so her hands were empty. When you walked in the door you were surprised to see a huge room with very tall ceilings and a long table with plenty of chairs. The princess was already sitting in the chair at the head of the table, and the paladins sat on either side of her.

They had been talking when you and Pidge walked in but all stopped and turned to look at you once the door closed. Pidge raced over to her seat. "I sure hope you turds didn't eat all the food without me!"

Lance laughed, "Don't worry Pidge, Allura wouldn't let us start without you guys. Besides we had to wait for allll the pretty ladies to get here before we started." He looked at you when he said this, flashing a grin. Keith, who was sitting next to him rolled his eyes but smiled a little.

Hunk must have noticed your uncomfortableness because he motioned you to come over to him. "Here, we saved this seat for you!"

You walked slowly over to Hunk and sat down in the chair next to him, across from Shiro and next to Allura. Allura smiled at you regally. "I am glad you like the clothes I selected for you." You offered a brief smile before a plate of some green and blue textured substance was set down in front of you. Someone you hadn't met yet, Coran you assumed, smiled at you warmly. "Enjoy my dear! Usually I'm the chef around here but Hunk insisted on cooking tonight"

You could tell Allura was still looking at you out of the corner of your eye so you looked back at her questioningly. "I hope you don't mind if we ask you some questions while we eat. I am sure you have some of your own as well." She asked. The other paladins smiled at you and nodded their heads.

 _Oh boy, this was going to be a long meal._


	6. Blurb from author

Blurb:

Hey all! First of all, wow, I can't believe people are actually reading this. Thanks to all of you! And thanks to those of you who followed, favorited, or left reviews; you guys may say that this story makes your day but in all honesty my day is the one that's made!

This story was just kind of a headcanon short story idea I've had for a while, and once I kept thinking about it the story just kept growing! I'm literally writing this as ideas come to my head, worried I'll forget something once I think about it. That being said, I know that the sentence structure, grammar, repetition, and overall format of the whole story isn't exactly top notch, but I hope that it's still enjoyable and exciting to read.

Lastly, at times in the story something may be mentioned that you don't understand. If you've never heard of something before, or feel as though you missed an important point because the author (me) is making it sound like I've taken for granted that you're following my thoughts, don't worry. Everything will be explained in its' own time and soon everything will make sense. There will be more interactions, I know the paladins seem like background characters at the moment, and more mentions of canon storyline.

Thanks loves! Keep leaving reviews, I love hearing from you.

Sincerely, your author.


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